


Without You

by WynterRobin



Category: Batman (Comics)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Best friend Dick Grayson, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Reader-Insert
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-25
Updated: 2017-11-25
Packaged: 2019-02-06 19:58:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,661
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12824976
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WynterRobin/pseuds/WynterRobin
Summary: “Goodbye then,” His tone was fathomless. “Goodbye Tim,” you whispered. And then he was gone. You allowed yourself a moment to wallow in self-pity, and then you called Dick.





	1. Without You

**Author's Note:**

> Song: [Say Something by A Great Big World](https://youtu.be/BmErRm-vApI)/[The One by The Chainsmokers](https://open.spotify.com/track/619A7U0RtsSEvqJeJdazJ3)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song: [Say Something by A Great Big World](https://youtu.be/BmErRm-vApI)/[The One by The Chainsmokers](https://open.spotify.com/track/619A7U0RtsSEvqJeJdazJ3)
> 
> Alternate series/ending to be posted on my tumblr @wynterrobin (:

“What do you want from me?!” 

Tim’s harsh tone finally drew your eyes up from where they had been fixed on your folded hands, and you met his pleading gaze with a blank one of your own. He was standing several feet away from where you were curled up on the couch, his fingers tugging at his hair in frustration. 

“I don’t want anything from you Tim,” Your voice was small, and you had to swallow past the lump in your throat, but you managed to keep your emotions at bay. You’d gotten awfully good at doing that recently. 

“Yeah well, I kinda figured lately,” His voice was flat. 

“What does that mean?” 

“It means that you don’t even seem to want to be with me anymore!” Tim exploded. You would have flinched, but you were looking at him now, and you could see the anguish that clearly painted his features. Because of you. You made Tim feel like that. He paused to take a shakey breath and carried on in a quieter tone. “I’ve needed you these past few weeks. And you haven’t been the one who was there for me. You get mad if I try to show you that I care, and you get mad when I don’t. I love you, and I don’t want to lose you, but if it’s going to be like this.. I’m done. I can’t,” 

Tim’s voice broke on the last word and you had to look away, back down at your hands, to keep him from seeing the tears that were gathering in your eyes. What he said was true. You and Tim had barely been able to spend any time together these last few months, and when you did it was strained. Without your boyfriend there to reassure you it wasn’t long before you fell into a spiralling pit of worry and self doubt. You had already considered yourself unworthy of him; he was Tim Drake-Wayne for god’s sake.  
But in his absence those stupid worries had grown stronger, until you struggled to see past them to the truth of the situation. Your boyfriend had needed you. You knew that. But you had been battling your own demons, and you knew that with the growing distance between you, there were better people than you to help him out. It was still no excuse. You knew that you were selfish, and a coward, and you hated yourself for it. 

You had to close your eyes to keep the tears from brimming over, and counted backwards from ten in your head before you trusted yourself to speak clearly. Even then, you uttered only a single word. “Okay,” 

“Okay? That’s it? You’re not going to fight for this at all?” When you looked at Tim what you saw broke your heart. His eyes were as wet as yours; the same lost boy you had met all those years ago appearing in his expression. 

And you were weak. You were a coward.  
“I.. I don’t think I deserve to. You deserve better Tim,” you whispered. 

“That’s bullshit,” His sharp words stung like a physical slap. But it wasn’t unwarranted, you had been over this countless times before. 

“It’s not up to you what I deserve. But seeing as you’ve decided that it’s not you… I’m done,” 

You closed your eyes so you didn’t have to watch as Tim turned and stormed to the door to grab his jacket, didn’t have to see the tears overflow and wet his cheeks. You didn’t open them again until you heard the door open and slam shut, marking your boyfriend’s exit. But he wasn’t your boyfriend anymore was he? You allowed yourself to break down then, muffling your sobs against your knees as you cried for everything that you had allowed yourself to destroy. 

____________________________________

  
You slept in Tim’s shirt that night, curled up into a ball and clutching the plush penguin he had won for you at the arcade on your first real date. The fabric smelled like him, and the thought that soon enough his scent would fade brought on a fresh wave of tears. 

It was made worse by the fact that you could have prevented it. This was your fault, you had hurt Tim and now that you were alone you only had yourself to blame. You felt that you didn’t even deserve your saddness. 

In the morning you got a text. It was from Tim. Just seeing his name brought on a fresh bout of grief, but you pushed it down long enough to read the message. He wanted to give you back the stuff you had left in his room at the manor, and pick up a few things for himself. The fact that he had texted to tell you that he was coming over further hammered in the fact that he didn’t consider your apartment to be his home any longer. You weren’t sure, but you thought that maybe that was the worst of all. Without each other, the apartment was home to neither of you. 

You agreed to him coming over at eleven, and went to shower. You stood under the water for longer than usual, letting it wash away some of the tension in your body so that when you stepped out you were calmer. You weren’t even close to being used to the idea of living without Tim, but at least you felt capable of facing him. 

_____________________________________

  
You didn’t know what you were expecting, but this wasn’t it. You had been expecting him to be cold, angry, sad. Instead Tim was almost friendly. But his eyes were distant. A strangers. He kept up the facade the entire time he was in the apartment, and you played along, exchanging small talk about the rest of (your) his family right up until his fingers were wrapped around the doorhandle. He hesitated, but didn’t look back at you. 

“Goodbye then,” His tone was fathomless. “Goodbye Tim,” you whispered. And then he was gone. You allowed yourself a moment to wallow in self-pity, and then you called Dick. 

  
Dick was your best friend. Had been even before you had met Tim. He was easygoing and lighthearted and understanding, and he was your rock. Even when the world fell apart, you still had Dick. So you called him. You tried to gather yourself while the dial tone rang out, and then there was a click to indicate that Dick had picked up, followed by the familiar tenor of his voice.

“Hey, hang on a sec, I’ve gotta turn off the oven-” There was a bang and then the telltale clatter of metal on metal, followed by a low curse on his end. You surprised yourself by giggling unsteadily at your best friend’s antics. “Okay, it’s all under control,” Dick continued smoothly. “So what’s up sweetheart?” 

You hesitated for a second. Dick sounded so cheerful, relaxed. His life was hectic enough as it is, he didn’t deserve to have that taken from him. But he was also familar, and comforting, and you could admit to yourself now that you _needed_ this. You couldn’t do this on your own. So you blurted, “Tim and I broke up,” 

There was static on the other end of the line, and then, “Wait.. what? You broke up? Why?” You could understand his incredulity. You and Tim had been a package deal. You were two halves of the same whole, nobody would have guessed that there were cracks underneath the surface. Nobody would have predicted this. 

“It was my fault,” you admitted, and damnit there were the tears _again_. “We haven’t been getting along for awhile and last night I pushed him too far and he left and, and Dick I can’t do this without him, everything here just reminds me of him and he’s my everything and _I don’t know what to do_ ,” Once you started the words kept coming, until you were a mess, sobbing over the phone to the only person you had left in the world. 

“Okay, breathe for me,” Dick’s voice was steady over the line, and you instantly recognised it as the voice he used when he was Nightwing. It was his crisis voice. His words also reminded you that you were, in fact, not breathing. You gasped in a lungful of air, clutching the phone to you like a lifeline.

“Okay. Good, okay,” Dick praised. “Pack up your things, I’m coming to get you,” 

“What?” Your voice was croaky, and you winced at the sound. What did he mean by that? Maybe he had realised what a fuck up you were, maybe he was going to make you talk to Tim; he was his brother after all. The thought sent a fresh wave of guilt and panic through your system. Dick’s voice carried steadily over the line, soothing your nerves a little. “It’s not good for you to stay there. I want you to come stay with me in Bludhaven for a little while. Okay?” 

You relaxed, knowing that in the end Dick would leave the decision up to you. But you had already admitted that you couldn’t do this on your own. “Okay,” 

“Okay,” he replied, sure, warm. Grounded. He was everything that you needed in that moment, and you had rarely been more grateful. “I’ll be over in less than an hour, call if you need me before then,” 

You nodded even though he couldn’t see. “Thanks Dick,” 

“You don’t have to thank me sweetheart. I’ll see you soon,” 

You ended the call, forcing yourself up from your seat, stubbornly refusing to think about what you were doing when you went to grab a duffel bag and began tossing things into it. You hesitated over Tim’s t-shirt, wavering, before finally admitting that you were weak and shoving it into the bag with the rest of your clothes. 

True to his word, Dick showed up just as you were finished packing. He had a key, but he knocked anyway, and you figured he was giving you a moment to compose yourself. You loved him even more for it. You dropped the duffel on the table and hurried to the door, wrenching it open to reveal your best friend standing on the other side. 

You had barely taken a breath to greet him before you were swept up into Dick’s arms and crushed firmly against his chest. You wrapped your arms around him, and it didn’t even matter that you couldn’t breathe, because you felt warm and safe and surrounded by Dick’s familiar scent - collogne and Alfred’s cooking and something else that was just entirely his own. 

You weren’t sure how long you stood there, head tucked under Dick’s chin and holding onto him for dear life, but it didn’t matter. For the first time since Tim had left, you felt like maybe you would be okay. Maybe you didn’t have to be alone.


	2. With Him

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song: [9 Crimes by Damian Rice](https://open.spotify.com/track/08YEGpKt2LHJ0URCXKHEie)/[Let Her Go by Passenger](https://youtu.be/mW1C8x12tw0)

  
The first few days were the worst. Waking up in the morning, expecting to be in your bed curled into Tim’s side, only to open your eyes and realise that he was gone always hit you hard. 

The first night you spent in Bludhaven you had just clutched onto Dick on the couch and cried until your eyes were dry and you fell asleep on his shoulder, a strange hollow feeling all that was left inside of you. That was when the lead settled in your chest, filling the space where the pain had been before. Dick tried to keep you busy, distracted, but it was always there, a constant reminder of Tim that weighed you down no matter what you were doing. 

Forgetting was the hardest part. The rare moments when you found yourself smiling, laughing at something Dick had said or a cheesy joke in one of the sitcoms you had taken to watching together in the evenings. You would find yourself thinking ‘Tim would like this’ or ‘Tim would get that joke’ and instinctively your hand would go to your pocket for your phone, only to remember that Tim wasn’t there anymore. The saddness would hit you then, and you would wilt, like a flower left in the dark. 

Dick tolerated your moping for almost two weeks before he decided that enough was enough. You were curled up on the couch in one of his hoodies and your batman pajama pants, clutching a cup of tea and watching late night cartoon reruns on the kids channel. The open plan space meant that Dick could easily observe your brooding from where he was preparing dinner at the kitchen island (Which with him meant putting pizza on a tray). You didn’t even notice his critical gaze on you, too busy contemplating whether or not it was worth going to Wayne Manor with Dick tonight. You’d accompanied him on a couple of trips there over the last couple weeks, finding that you missed the rest of the family almost as much as Tim. It had been a second home to you. You weren’t sure where home was now. 

Seeing Tim was hard, but it was usually brief, and that made it bearable. You hoped that maybe in time it would get easier, but tonight you just weren’t sure you felt up to it. Dick sighed, running a hand through his hair, expression conflicted. “Okay, I think this has gone on for long enough.” His voice broke you out of your reverie, and you glanced up at him over the rim of your cup.

“Moping around like this isn’t helping you,” His tone was gentle, and you averted your gaze, ashamed. “I know that, I just… I used to know how to be a whole person by myself before Tim. But now.. I don’t even remember who that person is,” Your voice was quiet, and when you looked back at Dick his expression was pained. “He took a part of me with him when he left Dick. I don’t know if I can fix that,” The words were sad, but resigned. You had exhausted your emotions weeks ago, now all that was left was to accept things as they were. Tim wasn’t coming back. But just because you had accepted it didn’t mean that you had learned to live with it yet. 

When Dick spoke his voice was soft, and he gave you a lopsided smile. “Well then, we’ll just have to try to fill in the gaps,”   
That made you smile too, small and crooked but real. Maybe Dick was right. And even if not, you owed it to him to try. 

You set your cup on the coffee table, rising from the couch to join Dick by the counter. He opened his arms in offer of a hug and you went eagerly, clutching his jacket tightly and just breathing him in. Being enveloped in Dick’s arms was familiar and safe and warm, and you savoured the contact. You’d always joked that his hugs had healing properties, but you’d never known just how true that statement was until recently.

“Thanks Dick,” The words were muffled against his chest, and you felt more than heard him laugh. “You don’t need to thank me sweetheart,” He paused then, “But.. There is one thing you could do for me,” You pulled back, eyeing your best friend warily. “Which is?”   
“Come to Bruce’s charity gala with me tomorrow night,” You made the mistake of looking into his eyes, persuasive and pleading, and instantly you folded. “Fine,” The word was a sigh, and then, with a playful nudge to his shoulder, “Just don’t expect me to like it,”   
Dick’s answering grin was infectious. 

___________________________________

  
You were already regretting agreeing to this whole thing before you even got out of the car, but that was multiplied tenfold when your door was opened to reveal a hoard of journalists crowding the entrance to the hotel. Dick squeezed your hand reassuringly before climbing out, and you took some small comfort in the fact that he was here with you in all of this. You hadn’t really thought about how the press would perceive you showing up with Dick instead of Tim, and thinking about it now made your stomach churn. 

But then Dick was at your side offering you his arm, and you took it gratefully, letting him guide you towards the door. You had learned the art of smiling for the cameras when you started coming to these things with Tim, and you did so now, doing your best to ignore the questions being fired your way. Your least favourite thing about being involved with the Wayne family was the lack of privacy, but you had learned to deal with it for Tim. You didn’t know how you would deal with it from now on, because while he may be gone from your life, the press wasn’t likely to leave you alone anytime soon.

Reaching the ballroom was a huge relief. You were instantly snatched up in conversation by a group of Wayne Enterprises board members, and you did your best to appear interested while Dick reeled off figures and statistics and generally exuded his charm over everyone in the nearby vicinity. You were trying to focus, but occasionally you found yourself slipping up, scanning the room for any sign of Tim. 

Eventually you excused yourself to the banquet tables with the excuse of being thirsty, giving Dick’s arm a reassuring squeeze before you left to let him know that you were okay. You had gotten accustomed to the small cozy space you and Dick shared in Bludhaven, and the presence of so many people was suffocating after so long. You just needed a minute to gather yourself. 

Another quick scan of the room confirmed that Tim had yet to make an appearance. Worry clutched itself in your chest, and you struggled to push the feeling away. You opted for water at the drinks table; you hadn’t been entirely untruthful when you said that you were thirsty. The heat in the ballroom was intense and it was making your throat feel dry. After a few minutes you decided to head back over to Dick, only to stop when a motion in the corner of your eye caught your attention. 

You glanced up just in time to see Jason Todd enter the room, clad in a tux and looking suitably uncomfortable to be there. His gaze swept his surroundings in the same way that all of the batboys did when they entered a new place; from observation you guessed that such caution was a prerequisite of being a vigilante. His eyes locked on yours from across the room, and even from here you could see his signature lopsided smirk. 

You had only met Jason a handful of times before now, on the rare occasions when he visited the manor while you were around or when he was working a case with Tim. You were wary of him at first; rumours about the Red Hood were not usually kind, but Tim seemed to trust him (albeit begrudgingly), and you’d found him interesting to talk to the few times you’d done so. 

Nonetheless, you were surprised to see him here. He wasn’t usually on the best of terms with Bruce, and you wondered what it was that necessitated him showing up tonight. You were even more surprised when he started to weave his way towards you through the crowd, until he was standing beside you at the table, grabbing a champagne flute from the stand for himself.

“Hey there doll. You look stunning tonight,” He smiled crookedly at you, and you felt your brow scrunch up in confusion. “Jason, hi. Um, thanks. What brings you here?” He scoffed, tilting his head in Bruce’s direction across the room before tilting the flute to his lips and drained it in one go. “Working on a case with B. A guy we suspect of being in on it is meant to show up here later. The old man wants to see if we can get the jump on him,” His voice was a quiet drawl, and you felt the corners of your mouth quirk up of their own accord. 

“Ohh I see. So you’re using me to avoid socialising with your brothers?” You teased, knowing that it was probably at least somewhat true.   
He tilted his head to the side, scrutinising you for a moment before he grinned. “I think we have mutual interests,” “Oh yeah?” You played along, your interest piqued now.  
“Mmmh. I don’t want to be here, you don’t want to be here..” “How do you know I don’t want to be here?”   
He raised an eyebrow. “The fact that you’re hiding by the banquet tables was a pretty good tip off sweetheart,”   
You grimaced, looking away and shrugging. 

“I heard about what happened with you and babybird.” You glanced up at that, resisting the urge to shrink into yourself at the reminder. He was frowning, and you didn’t know if you appreciated that or not.   
“Does it matter to you?” The words were harsher than you’d meant them, and you bit your lip to keep from apologising. It was still a genuine question.   
Jason blew out a breath, replacing the champagne flute on the table and shoving his hands into his trouser pockets. “Even I knew you and the replacement were good for each other doll. It was a shitty thing to happen and I was sorry to hear it,”   
You felt bad for snapping at him then. The fight left your body, tension bleeding from your stiff frame. “Yeah. Thanks Jason,”   
“So..” His tone was lighter now, some of the shadows melting from his eyes. “Seeing as we’re both stuck here anyway. Care to join me for a dance?” “A dance?” You were dubious. Why would he want to dance with you? Did Jason even dance?   
“Can’t brood forever doll, that’s a Bruce thing. Might as well have some fun,” He quirked a lopsided smile, offering you his hand, and his words reminded you instantly of what Dick had said to you the day before. You had to at least try. If not for you, then for him. You returned Jason’s smile tentatively, taking his hand and letting him lead you out onto the floor. 

________________________________________

  
Jason was a surprisingly good dancer. His movements were smooth and natural as he guided you around the floor in perfect time to the music, one hand at your waist and the other clasped with yours. This was different to dancing with Tim, but not like you had expected. Tim’s steps were precise and calculated, they spoke of years of lessons and tedious practice to make sure that every step was graceful and flawless. 

Jason danced like he could feel the music, let it guide him as he swept you around the room, an extension of his very being. His fingers were rough and calloused where they touched yours, but his hands were warmer and larger than you remembered Tim’s being. And when he leaned in to speak to you his voice was warmer too, like there was laughter lingering just under the surface ready to spill over into being when you said something that amused him. He was different to Tim, but not in a bad way. One song bled into the next, but you didn’t stop dancing. At some stage you caught Dick’s eye across the floor and just grinned at his dumbfounded expression. 

You weren’t sure how many songs had played when Jason finally lead you off the floor, keeping your hand in his as you walked out onto the balcony. He only let go when you were outside, turning to lean against the railing and folding his arms over his chest. “So? Was it as awful as you expected?” He teased, and you shoved his shoulder playfully in reprimand of his smug tone before leaning forwards over the railing beside him. “You’re a good dancer,” You deflected, breathing in the night air deeply and taking in the clear expanse of starry sky above you. 

The wind tugged gently at your hair, and you allowed yourself a small smile. Why had you deprived yourself of this for so long? Jason scoffed beside you, and you turned to see him already looking at you, eyes twinkling with mirth.   
“Don’t you have a bad guy to catch or something?” You accused, turning away and hoping he’d blame the flush in your cheeks on the wind. You liked Jason a lot. More than you had ever expected to. But you were still in love with Tim, and right now you weren’t sure you could take falling again so soon. You were still trying to heal from the last time. 

You had allowed yourself to be vulnerable, and it had ended in heartbreak. So this time around you’d be a little less vulnerable, and a little more guarded, because your heart was fragile, put together with staples and glue and if it broke again you weren’t sure you’d have any chance of picking up the pieces. 

Your eyes were suddenly hot with unshed tears, and you blinked hard, hoping that Jason wouldn’t notice. “I’m sure B can take care of it himself for once,” His voice was quiet, contemplative, and he turned around to face out over the gardens beside you. He hesitated for a moment, and then reached out, taking your hand and squeezing gently. “Doll I know you’re not over Tim… I mean, shit, that one’s gonna take time to heal youknow?” He paused, and you stayed quiet, sensing that he wasn’t done.   
“But I just, I think you’re amazing sweetheart, and I’d like to get to know you more, if you’d let me,” He gave a small laugh then, and you glanced over to see him smiling ruefully at you. “It doesn’t have to mean anything, we could just hang out and watch movies and shit. Youknow, the mushy friend crap you and Boy Wonder probably do together,” 

You giggled at that, raising an eyebrow at him. “You want to do mushy friend stuff with me? Doesn’t seem like your thing,” He shook his head. “Not usually,” he admitted, “But I could make an exception for a pretty girl,”   
“Stop that, flattery will get you nowhere,” But you were laughing now, relieved and almost happy for what must have been the first time in a while. “Is that a no?” His smirk said he knew otherwise.   
“It’s a maybe,” You offered, looking back out at the night sky. 

It was almost fully dark now, blues and navys fading into black, and there were millions of stars, twinkling down at you brightly from above. “Do you know any constellations?” Jason asked suddenly, and you guessed that he had followed your gaze. You shook your head. “Only a couple,” He lifted his hand to point out a patch of starry sky to you. “Well if you look at this one here..” 

Jason proceeded to point out the different constellations to you and tell you their stories, and you folded your arms over the railing, resting your head across them and listening contentedly. Jason was different to Tim, in more ways than you could count. But maybe that wasn’t a bad thing. It was still too soon to tell, but maybe, one day, you’d be ready to find out.


	3. With Him Part 2

“Who you texting?” You jumped at the sound of Dick’s voice in your ear, having been too preoccupied with your phone to notice him coming. Your best friend’s chin settled on your shoulder, his hands on your arms as he tried to sneak a peek at the screen. “Nobody!” You clutched your phone to your chest, swatting at him. Dick chuckled, backing off with his hands raised in surrender. 

“You could just invite him over for coffee you know,” He raised an eyebrow, smirking knowingly. Instantly you felt your cheeks heat up. “He’s just.. interesting to talk to. We share very similar opinions of Mr Darcy, and are comparing notes. That’s all,”   


Dick sighed, shaking his head exasperatedly and heading into the kitchen. You couldn’t really blame him. You had been talking to Jason an awful lot lately, and you really enjoyed his company but.. But. Then there was Tim. Tim, who, every time you saw him, made you simultaneously want to cry and cling to him just by being in the same room.

 It had been months now, and you thought you were getting over him. You were back in your apartment, had filled the empty spaces he had left with things of your own. But just seeing him across the room at Wayne Manor sent you right back to square one. 

Your phone screen lit up with a new message from Jason then, and you felt a stab of guilt in your chest. Jason had made his interest plain, and been nothing but understanding about the situation with Tim. You had been spending more and more time together just as friends, and he never pushed for more. And if you were honest with yourself, you had come to really like him. 

So much so that, if your feelings for Tim weren’t holding you back, you would say you had a bit of a crush on him. Underneath his tough exterior he was sweet and kind and intelligent, not to mention his dashing good looks.

 Steeling your nerves, you forced yourself to make up your mind. You typed a quick response to what Jason had just said, and then followed it up with an invitation for coffee. You hesitated only a moment before hitting the send button, and then hopped up to get ready for the day. 

~~~

Dick was looking smug as he leaned against the counter, watching you give the kitchen a quick tidy. It wasn’t as if Jason hadn’t visited several times already, but this time felt different. Because this time you had made up your mind that you wanted to be with him. You weren’t going to be held back by the past any longer.

 “Are you going to just stand there and watch me?” You shot Dick a look; you were unable to tolerate his gaze on you right now. It made you feel blatantly transparent, and you didn’t like it. Dick quirked a smile, glancing at the clock. “Actually I was thinking I should be going, I have a shift at the station tonight,”

 “You’re not staying?” You didn’t know how you felt about that. You had assumed Dick would be there when you invited Jason over, had counted on him to tide over the conversation until you managed to calm your frayed nerves. “You’ll be fine sweetheart, trust me,” He threw you a wink and you blushed again, looking away. 

Dick pulled you into a tight hug before he left, giving you some comfort before he left you alone to face your fears. You were trying to distract yourself by rearranging your bookshelf when the doorbell rang. Your heart leaped in your throat and you hurried to let Jason in. 

As soon as you saw him all of your nervousness melted away. He gave you his signature lopsided smile, holding up a brown paper bag. “I brought books and muffins,” You groaned dramatically, stepping back to allow him in. “Why are you so perfect?” He shot you a playful grin, shrugging as he walked over to place his stuff on the table. “Guess I just can’t help it doll,” You laughed, closing the door and going to make the coffee. 

~~~

Pretty soon the two of you were seated on the sofa, books littering the floor around you and two steaming mugs of coffee on the table. The rain was beating down hard on the roof overhead now, but you were both so absorbed in conversation that you hardly noticed.

 You loved watching Jason talk, especially if it was about something he was confident in, like books. The way he leaned towards you slightly when he spoke, gesturing animatedly with his hands, the way his eyes lit up when you said something he found interesting, nodding enthusiastically. It was a side to him that you doubted many got to see, and you felt privileged to be one of them. 

Jason was leaning over a book, scanning for a quote he wanted to show you. There was no helping the way your eyes lingered on his face, the soft white hair that fell across his eyes, his furrowed eyebrows, his sharp jawline, the curve of his lips. Butterflies took root in your stomach, and your breath caught. 

You only realized that you were leaning in when Jason looked up, his face only inches from yours. His eyes widened fractionally in surprise, and then darkened. Your hand settled on his thigh. Your noses brushed. For a moment there was nothing but the sound of the rain, your mingled breathing. You weren’t sure who moved first, but suddenly your lips were pressed together, and you were kissing. 

At first it was slow, tentative, but then the kiss deepened and you fell into each other. Jason’s hands were at your waist, steadying you, yours were tangled in his dark hair. When you finally separated it wasn’t by much, your foreheads pressed together and your noses touching. “You want this?” Jason was the first to speak, his voice low. “Yeah.. I really like you Jason,” you admitted, and it was easier like this, pressed so close that he couldn’t see you blush. Jason pressed his lips to yours again, and you could feel him smiling into the kiss. “I like you too sweetheart,” he chuckled fondly when you parted, pulling you into his arms.

 ~~~

You spent the rest of the evening curled up against Jason’s side, the blankets pulled close around you, a movie playing on the television (although you were too wrapped up in each other to pay much attention). 


End file.
